Retirees face an uphill battle when it comes to downsizing, with current housing stock overwhelmingly four and five bedrooms, with a matching number of bathrooms.
Then there’s usually the theatre room along with formal and informal dining and lounge.
A workshop in Fremantle a couple of years ago heard “beautiful” spaces, not extra bathrooms were what’s needed for the over-55s.
This White Gum Valley offers an answer with just two bedrooms and one bathroom, in a cute Freo-style cottage, high on the rise on Carrington Street.
Or it’s a great home for a young couple taking their first step into the great Aussie dream of home ownership.
It’s walking distance to shops, and a couple of cafes, or for more choices, jump on the bus and head into Fremantle—the stop is just around the corner.
Granted, there’s a bit of maintenance work to do, but flog off that big house and there’s cash to spare for what is essentially cosmetic changes. Leave something in the bank for those overseas holidays.
The subdivided block has enough garden to appeal to a keen gardener, but not enough to make a job of it.
And as befits a home of this vintage (I’m guessing around 80 years old) the ceilings are high and decorative, with a couple of fireplaces and lovely aged jarrah floors.
There’s a study or dressing room off the spacious main bedroom, and the dinky second bedroom is just right for a visiting grandchild.
The central lounge is a good size, but if it were me I’d be opening up the wall between it and the kitchen for a pleasant open living/dining/kitchen area.
On the highest point of Carrington going up would provide sweeping ocean vistas.
The home has been rewired, freshly painted and has a new solar hot water system.
Often old homes are let down by the bathroom, which can cause a shudder, but this one has been beautifully renovated, while retaining the original timber ceiling.
BY JENNY D’ANGER
173A Carrington Street, White Gum Valley
$499,000 to $529,000
Jordan Marshall | 0438 298 100
Locate Real Estate | 9335 9007